A Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (which may also be referenced by the acronym “LDAP”), is an Internet protocol that application modules (e.g., operating system components, stand-alone applications, and so on) may utilize to access a wide variety of data. For example, an application module may access contact information from an LDAP server. The LDAP server allows directory-like information to be stored, searched, displayed, and updated. For instance, the LDAP server may be deployed as a central directory for an organization or an organizational unit. Additionally, the LDAP server may be used for the management of user and computer account identities and as such may be deployed for use in user authentication.
In some implementations, however, the LDAP server may include data that is not protected from potentially untrustworthy clients, thereby resulting in possible exposure of the LDAP server and the data accessible thereon to attacks from malicious parties. For example the LDAP server may be configured to include a company's internal information in an LDAP directory, which may contain sensitive data such as user account information, the company's server locations, and so on. Accordingly, clients located inside the company's environment (e.g., via a company intranet) may access the LDAP directories to obtain desired data, such as for server management and user authentication. Client's located “outside” this environment (e.g., via the Internet), however, may also desire access to this data, such as to access user accounts for “e-commerce” purposes. Therefore, even though the LDAP servers may be located “inside” a corporate intranet, these LDAP directories may still be exposed to clients outside the corporate intranet, which may result in a corresponding exposure to hacker attacks that attempt to obtain this data.
Therefore, there is a continuing need for techniques that may be employed to secure traffic that utilizes the lightweight directory access protocol.